And meow, my friends, we’ve reached the final episode of “Cat Week” from Kids Commute. We hope you’ve had fun exploring music inspired by, written about, or “composed” by cats. Have you remembered to text in your answer to this week’s Quizlet? If you get the answer right, we’ll send you one of our all-new Kids Commute Prize Packs.
Today, we listen to cat music composed by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky for the 1890 ballet, Sleeping Beauty. Its title is also the answer to today’s quizlet, Puss In Boots. The original story is a fairy tale about a boot-wearing cat who wins his poor young master a castle, a title and a princess - all with clever tricks! Tchaikovsky doesn’t use this plot for Sleeping Beauty, but Puss In Boots makes an appearance at Aurora's wedding feast. As you listen, try to see if you think the music sounds like the way cats might behave.
KC 214
Sleeping Beauty - "Puss in Boots"
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Boston Symphony Orchestra/Seiji Ozawa
Here's today's Kids Commute:
Here's a performance of "Puss in Boots" choreographed by Rudolf Nureyev for Opera Bastille:
...and here's another, from the Royal Ballet. Note the differences! Which one do you think is the most "cat-like?"
We mentioned that the Puss in Boots music is used for the spooky spindle part of Disney's Sleeping Beauty. Isn't it interesting how much your view of music can change depending on what you're looking at?
